Hands-off summer tomato focaccia

Name: Hands-off summer tomato focaccia
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 6-8 as part of a shared spread
Cuisine: Italian,Mediterranean
Ingredients: 2½ cups tepid water; about 6 tbsp olive oil; 4 tsp caster sugar (or honey); 7g sachet dry yeast; 650g bread flour; generous pinch sea salt flakes; 125g punnet mixed mini tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes, quartered); ½ cup semi-dried tomatoes; basil leaves, to serve

Katrina Meynink

December 13, 2023

No-knead focaccia with summer tomatoes.Katrina Meynink

easyTime:2 hours +Serves:6-8 as part of a shared spread

This recipe is based on Bon Appetit magazine’s famous focaccia, but with even less hands-on contact. There couldn’t be a simpler, more reliable bread for a crowd.

Ingredients

2½ cups tepid water
about 6 tbsp olive oil
4 tsp caster sugar (or honey)
7g sachet dry yeast
650g bread flour
generous pinch sea salt flakes
125g punnet mixed mini tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes, quartered)
½ cup semi-dried tomatoes
basil leaves, to serve

Method

Step 1
Whisk together the water, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the sugar and yeast in a jug and set aside until foamy – about 15 minutes.
Step 2
Add the flour and salt to a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, add the liquid yeast mixture and, using your hands, incorporate until just combined. Oil a clean mixing bowl. Add the dough to the second bowl and cover with a tea towel. Set aside in a warm spot to rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
Step 3
Transfer the dough into a very well-oiled focaccia tray (about 40cm x 30cm) and, using your fingers, gently push the dough to the edges. Often recipes will call for knocking back the dough a few times. We’re not bothering with that here. Cover the tray with the tea towel and set aside to rest for 2 hours or until the dough has puffed and looks to have doubled in size. To test whether the dough is ready, poke it with your finger. It should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. If it springs back quickly, the dough isn’t ready.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 190C fan-forced (210C conventional). Using your fingers, gently make indents across the top of the focaccia. Scatter over the mini tomatoes and semi-dried tomatoes. Pop the tray in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until puffed and golden. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with sea salt flakes and once cool enough to touch, scatter over the basil leaves.